Tom Petty’s Cause of Death ‘Deferred’

Coroners have “deferred” Tom Petty’s cause of death pending further test results.

The I Won’t Back Down hitmaker, 66, lost his life at the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital on 2 October (17), a day after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California.

His death certificate was filed with Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday (10Oct17), confirming he passed away at 8.43pm local time, although the immediate cause of death remains a mystery.

The document, obtained by TMZ.com, also suggests Petty will be laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park, as the Los Angeles cemetery and mortuary is listed as the funeral establishment where officials will handle his remains.

Further details about the singer’s funeral arrangements have yet to be revealed.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who died on 27 September (17), aged 91, was also recently buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park, in a crypt next to Marilyn Monroe.

Petty’s publicist, Carla Sacks, confirmed the music icon’s death in a statement released on 2 October (17), hours after reporters at various news outlets prematurely announced his demise following misinformation from Los Angeles Police Department sources.

Sacks‘ press release read: “On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived.”

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department later apologized for the mix up, explaining, “Initial information was inadvertently provided to some media sources. The LAPD has no investigative role in this matter. We apologize for any inconvenience in this reporting.”